Long Overdue Touchscreen Subway Maps Finally Arrive in NYC

They're six months late, but the interactive subway maps poised to take transportation in New York City into the future have finally arrived.

According to Gizmodo, 18 MTA On the Go kiosks were added to Grand Central subway station. They're a joint venture by the MTA and design and technology firm Control Group, and the latter is paying for them, hoping that advertising dollars will eventually cover the expense.

As the roll-out continues, these are going to be very useful:

The resulting kiosks are useful even if you choose not to interact directly with them at all. About every 10 seconds, the screens cycle to a new piece of information. First, you'll see a real-time subway train arrival estimate, or a listing scheduled departures for the Metro-North Railroad from Grand Central. Then, the screen will switch to animated safety and security announcements: If you drop something on the tracks—leave it.